Grike

About Grike

Sitting as the westernmost outpost of the Wainwright fells, this broad, heather-clad summit offers a gentle introduction to the Lake District from the coastal plain. Often paired with neighbouring Crag Fell or Lank Rigg, it provides a quiet, uncrowded vantage point overlooking the Ennerdale valley and the Irish Sea.

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Did You Know?

• •The name likely stems from the Old Norse gryfja, meaning a hole or pit, or the local dialect term for a crack or fissure—an odd choice for a hill defined more by its rounded, grassy shoulders than any rocky architecture.
• •Alfred Wainwright categorised Grike as the final western fell of his pictorial guides, noting that its position marks the definitive transition from the rugged mountain interior to the low-lying Cumbrian coastal plain.
• •The summit features a large stone cairn and a circular wind-shelter, but it is most easily identified from a distance by the functional radio mast and weather station situated just a few yards from the top.
• •The view to the east provides a spectacular perspective of the High Stile range and the Pillar massif, while looking west on a clear day offers a panoramic view across the Irish Sea to the Isle of Man and the Galloway hills.
• •While the radio mast might offend the aesthetic sensibilities of some hikers, it remains the most reliable navigation aid in the Western Fells for anyone who has managed to lose their map in a thick Ennerdale mist.